***
Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes
Directed by Callie Khouri
Rated PG-13
Opens Friday
Caper movies always find a way to make you forget that you’re rooting for greedy criminals, but I doubt the silver screen’s ever had a more good-natured robbery than the one in Mad Money.
Our band of thieves includes Diane Keaton, as a woman who just wants to preserve her quality of life; Queen Latifah, as a single mother who just wants to provide for her two children; and Katie Holmes, as a spunky and sweet girl who joins the thieving duo just because she’s tickled to be included. They’re not even stealing money that anyone would suffer to lose. They’re taking worn-out cash scheduled to be shredded. You almost want to tell the police, who converge on the trio in a suspense-killing flash-forward opening scene, “Oh, come on. Just let them keep it.”
The heists are clever enough to make us forgive their implausibility, and the significant others of these lady thieves, played by Ted Danson, Roger Cross and Adam Rothenberg, offer touching support and hilarious one-liners. Mad Money’s no classic, but you won’t mind giving the price of a ticket to these lighthearted hoodlums.